Zucchini, Games, and Goats

Work has been extremely interesting today.

First, I unloaded 6 large and heavy boxes of t-shirts for camp next week (they were in my car, and I drive a two-door cavalier!).

Then, I rode with my boss to a community center, where she is teaching a youth cooking and nutrition class. Cooking with kids is a trial within itself. However, before we even got started cooking, we went outside to play a game and get the kids' heart rates going.

The game is Giants, Elves, and Wizards. It's like rock, paper, scissors -- except that you use your whole body to make either a giant (by putting your arms waaay up in the air), an elf (squatting down and giving yourself pointy ears), or a wizard (putting your arms in front of you and wiggling your fingers).

The game also involves a lot of running. Since we had an odd number of kids, I was volunteered to play as well. Now, dress at work is business casual. This basically just means that I'm running from a bunch of kids on wet grass in a pair of dress slacks and heels. It's a good thing I love children, because I twisted my ankle and it's all swollen at the moment.

We finally went back indoors and began to cook (vegetable medley and baked chicken nuggets).

Then, the distraction arrives. A couple from a local farm are setting up a small petting zoo right outside the building we're in for a different school group. The kids in our group went ballistic, and we eventually capitulated and I took them out to see the animals which included:

1. A pygmy goat and her baby (who was black and adorable!)
2. Two sheep, (the owner put his little daughter on one, and it bucked like a bronco)
3. A miniature horse (she was totally unconcerned with the kids and ate all the grass in her enclosure)
4. Rabbits (one of the little girls was holding one and squeezed it so tight that the poor thing's eyes were bulging)
5. Geese (mean little buggers, never mess with one, it'll chase you around for hours)
6. Ducks (they were much nicer, the kids got to hold them)

Eventually, I managed to coerce the kids (with promises of food) to come back to the kitchen, where we finally finished cooking everything.

As a special treat, the nutrition person I was working with had made them a chocolate cake. What she didn't tell them (until they had all gotten seconds) was that it had two cups of zucchini in it. Their reactions were great! One girl refused to eat her second piece once she knew it was in there. Silly kids . . .

But, it's been quite the day, and it's only half over!

Latest Newspaper Article!

So, here it is! It looks so official, with disclaimers and everything . . .

In The Yard
By: Lindsey Sutphin
Virginia Cooperative Extension \

-Above is a David Hughes watercolor of the

Monticello Gardens

(This week’s In The Yard column was written by Miss Lindsey Sutphin, a summer intern working in the Halifax County Cooperative Extension Office and a student at Virginia Tech. We hope you enjoy her article.)

Garden Fare in 1776

July 4, 1776 is the most celebrated day in American history. One of the most celebrated parts, and a traditional aspect of the date today, is the Independence Day barbecue. The fare at picnics across the country varies from burgers and corn-on-the-cob to grilled chicken and peach cobbler. However, have you ever wondered what our forefathers ate on that momentous occasion two hundred and thirty-two years ago? While no specific menu exists, and it can be assumed that the men were busy fighting the war, we can piece together what may have been served from studying what was grown in their gardens.
Monticello is a great source of information on the topic of gardens and food, considering that the kitchen gardens still operate on the estate. Thomas Jefferson was an avid and experimental gardener, recording even the most mundane facts in his “Garden Kalendar” (www.monticello.org). As with many of us, Jefferson’s appetite gave strength to his interest in edible fruits and vegetables. He was virtually a vegetarian, saying “I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that . . . as a condiment for the vegetables, which constitute my principal diet.” He had lettuce of different varieties planted every two weeks during the growing season to ensure salads on the table at every meal. His favorite veggie, English peas, grew in the gardens of Monticello along with asparagus, squash, broccoli, and twenty types of beans. In Jefferson’s orchard, or the “Fruitery” as it was called, apple and peach trees of different varieties grew alongside French apricots and Spanish almonds.
It is obvious that Thomas Jefferson was an accomplished gardener. However, one has to wonder how he cultivated hundreds of acres of vastly different crops. Pesticides and insecticides that we would not consider forgoing did not even exist during this time. So, how did he grow two-hundred and fifty types of vegetables successfully without the benefits of Miracle Grow? Well, the answer would be simple: manure – lots and lots of manure. In addition to being a fertilizer, manure was spread over the gardens during winter in the hopes that a richer soil would keep the insects off the plants. It is rumored that Jefferson himself would spend hours spreading the smelly stuff. Can you imagine any of the more recent presidents doing the same? Jefferson also relied on Bernard McMahon’s The American Gardener’s Calendar. The book provided directions for everything from the ubiquitous manuring to the best techniques for interplanting lettuce and radishes. A lot of the planting practices for newer vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes were experimental, furthering Jefferson’s reputation as a pioneer of American gardening.
As you slap a burger on the grill this Fourth-of-July weekend, think about adding some fresh vegetables or fruit. Even though twenty varieties of beans and fifteen varieties of peas are not necessary for a picnic, a few garden-fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash can add a nice touch to your meal. Besides, what could be more patriotic than eating like the man who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
(Commercial products are named in this publication for informational purposes only. Virginia Cooperative Extension does not endorse these products and does not intend discrimination against other products which also may be suitable.)

And The Solution for All Security Problems is . . .

Badges!

That's right, the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved the cost for new badges for the sheriff-deputies.

According to Sheriff Taylor, (not to be confused with Mayberry's Sheriff Taylor) new badges are needed so "officers would have proper, federally required identification when assisting at major disaster sites" (Danville Register & Bee). Okay, the county has a population of less than 50,000. It's also the largest county in Virginia, and the people are spread all out, mostly on farms. While I realize it is possible, a major disaster would be rare in the county and surrounding areas (which are also very rural). I mean, the only disasters we ever face are droughts during tobacco growing season!

Also according to the Bee, "Each badge would have a serial number for the officer wearing it, and identification shows proper credentials, recognizes an officer’s rank and shows their attributes." When I initially heard the story on the radio this morning, Sheriff Taylor said this was important to Homeland Security and to prevent imitators . . . righto. People in the county KNOW who the cops are, there aren't that many of them! In fact, there are generally only 3 or 4 deputies on active duty at any given time. Are they really so cocky as to think that people out there are just dying to play pretend-small-town-cops?

Even if all of these additions are necessary, why do they have to be incorporated in the badges? Officers also wear patches on their uniforms, couldn't we etch some type of serial number (coded of course, for top security reasons) on the patches?

The best part of all this? Each badge costs $55, which means that county taxes will go toward buying $7,700 worth of the snazzy new badges. But that's okay, it's not like the county has economic issues or has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state or anything . . .

What I've Been Reading

Summer is such a great time to chill out and read. I've made a run-down of some of the books I've liked so far:


1.
Jodi Picoult's Salem Falls is one of my favorite books by her. A lot of her books teeter on the edge of a cheesy love and loss story and an intriguing plot. This one had a few twists that weren't exactly believable, but it was a good one overall. The courtroom scenes were very good!



Plot: Jack St. Bride has just been released from jail for raping a teenage student of his. He claims to not have committed the crime. He gets a job as a dishwasher at Addie Peabody's Do-or-Diner, and the two become romantically involved. The town of Salem Falls learns he is a registered sex offender and they want him kicked out of town. A group of girls in the town secretly practice Wicca, a form of nature-magic. The leader of the coven, Gillian Duncan becomes infatuated with Jack and tries to lure him to her. After some odd occurrences, Jack is accused of raping Gilly, and the rest of the book focuses on the trial and his relationship with Addie.









2. The one everyone is talking about: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. This is a great book for young teen girls. I like the plot and characters, but so many of the scenes are just so melodramatic and lovey-dovey (which is why it's great for young teens). And the plot gets even more ridiculous with the sequels New Moon and Eclipse. But it's a fun book, and totally unrealistic. That being said, I can't wait to see the movie December 12.



Plot: Bella Swan moves from sunny Phoenix to small-town-overcast-Forks, Washington. Bella is an awkward person who finds herself being popular due to her status as a novelty in Forks. At school, she notices the Cullens, a group of pale but beautiful kids who are ostracized from the other kids. They're all adopted. Edward Cullen is her lab partner and they do not initially get along very well. However, Edward saves Bella from a car hitting her with some sort of inhuman strength that he later denies. Turns out, Edward and his family are vampires who have pledged not to taste human blood. Edward and Bella fall in love, and face another crazy vampire who wants to kill Bella.









3. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey is the book that spawned my interest in fantasy and science fiction writing. It's an easy read with a few holes that are later explained in other parts of the series of Pern books.



Plot: Lessa, a 21 year old, is working as a drudge on rural planet Pern in the hold of Ruatha. However, before a violent invasion that made her a virtual slave, Lessa had been daughter to the Lord of Ruatha. F'lar, a dragonrider, is searching for female candidates to bond and ride the golden queen dragon that is soon to hatch. He is impressed with Lessa's skills and determination, and she Impresses the gold queen Ramoth. The purpose of dragons is to fight Thread, a substance that falls from the sky every few hundred years and kills every organic substance it touches. However, Thread has not fallen on Pern for 400 years, making the lords and some of the dragonriders disbelieve its existence. F'lar and Lessa do not believe Thread is gon, and plan for its return. When it does return, the dragonriders are constantly exhausted due to their low numbers. Lessa finds a way to have more dragons at a great personal risk . . .




Now, I do realize that all three of these are by female authors; that was not intentional. Also, while I'm not a feminist or anything, I really respect Anne McCaffrey as a female science-fiction writer. It's hard enough to get novels published and mass-produced, and she did it at a time when female sci-fi writers were pretty much unheard of.

Vacation Days III - IV: The Eastern Snore

It finally happened. The Internet was taken from me! We left Rehobeth and the WiFi behind and headed towards the Eastern Shore. First, however, I begged to do a little shopping. No sales tax in Delaware combined with already-reduced products in outlets is too hard even for me to resist.

So, a few books and a pair of black pumps (check em out!)later, we visited my aunt who lives in Millsboro, DE. Her stepson and his five-year-old daughter were visiting. And this girl is NOT shy, she talks and tells stories and all sorts of things without any encouragement; Her dad says she'll run up to a bunch of kids and say "You're my new best friend," without even knowing their names. So, I'm sitting on the couch beside this little girl, trying to carry on a conversation, and I ask her if she likes Hannah Montana. She says "she's okay," like she isn't really interested. Then, she sings all of Miley Cyrus' (aka Hannah Montana) "See You Again." This kid is a mess, it's even harder to deal with discipline issues when the kid is smart like this girl.

Next stop: Eastern Shore down to Chincoteague Island. Chincoteague is a nice quiet little island that looks like this picture. All marches, it's a nice estuary-like ecosystem going on around the area. Its neighboring island, Assateague, is a federal park . . . no one lives there except for rangers and ponies. Yes, ponies. Perhaps you've heard of Misty of Chincoteague? Well, she was actually from Assateague, but either way the ponies are the major attraction in the park even though you rarely see them on the Virginia side of the park. We spent about 4 hours in the park after dinner and all we saw was a lighthouse, a wedding, and a lot of seagulls.

The next day we finally get to come home!

But first I must face my nemesis, my worst fear . . .

Yes, it's the fearful Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel! I hate bridges (See Vacation Day One: Gephyrophobia) and tunnels just make the claustrophobia worse. At 20 miles long, it's the largest bridge-tunnel complex in the world. So, I turned my iPod up and stuffed a pillow over my face the whole way through (which didn't really help because I could tell when it got darker which meant we were in the tunnels). And, in keeping with the whole family driving me crazy ordeal, they stopped at the gift shop/restaurant on the bridge and made me eat lunch, knowing how much I hate the place.

Finally, we got home.

Vacation over, back to work.

Next year, I'm going to the mountains . . . family be damned.

Vacation Day II: Buses Are Now Equipped With Ladders

So today unfortunately got off to an early start. We picked up my 92 year-old-grandfather and a few cousins and took the ferry from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey. Cape May is a pretty little town with a beach. However, instead of the huge multi-storied hotels I'm used to, Cape May boasts beautiful Victorian houses and fancy inns. We spent a good half-hour trying to locate a restaurant to eat lunch at that wouldn't cost us our souls.

We finally stumbled across Uncle Bill's. Uncle Bill's has quite the menu, including peach and pecan flavored pancakes as well as various sandwiches (I got the cheesesteak). After eating, we went back to the terminal and took the 80 minute ride back to Lewes.

While all of this was fun and scenic, my favorite part of the day was this wreck we saw -- I didn't think I was ever going to stop laughing. And then I would feel guilty for laughing because someone really could have gotten hurt -- but there were not any ambulances so I was not being morbidly cruel or anything. But in case you cannot see, that is a utility truck with a ladder on top of it that rear-ended a bus. The ladder broke the back windshield of the bus and stayed in there.

Vacation Day 1: Gephyrophobia

It's quite simple. Bridges scare the hell out of me. I absolutely hate traveling over them in a car, especially over large bodies of water. We went over the Bay Bridge (see pic) in Maryland today. The terror grips me even more when my dad is driving because he's more interested in boats on the water than the road.

I guess my fear of bridges comes from being claustrophobic -- large crowds and elevators make me pretty uncomfortable. I also have a thing for man-made structures. Skyscrapers freak me out. That being said, I can stand on a steep cliff face and be perfectly okay.

Perhaps it's irrational, but I just like to have ground under my feet. Bridges have nothing under them but air and (usually) water. And since I'm not an adept flier or swimmer, I prefer to avoid the possibility of falling off of a bridge altogether.

It rained the first day here at the beach. I hope that's not a sign . . .

What Do You Mean, "Take It Easy?"

Summer: No school, beach, and no worries.

Why aren't my summers ever like that? I feel like I'm the only dork who looks forward to school starting so she can relax. Every summer since I was a kid consisted of various camps and family trips. So if I wasn't gone, I was either packing or training for whatever it was I was doing next.

I specifically bring up family vacations because I am embarking on one tomorrow. Every year, I try my hardest to convince my parents that my participation is unnecessary. Every year I fail. This year, instead of really going on a trip, we're going to see my grandfather and two of my aunts -- who happen to live near a beach.

This mainly sucks for two reasons:

1. My aunts are rarely on good terms with one another. Constant bickering drives me nuts.

2. It's hard to flirt and have a good time at the beach when my parents and younger brother are there -- and they're always there. Always.

Family vacations in general suck because my family never does what I want to do. Last year, we drove around Tennessee, spending the majority of time in Gatlinburg and Chattanooga. My mom got to shop for clothes. My dad and my brother raced go-carts and bought a large number of unnecessary swords and knives. I got to watch my mother try on outfits that look identical to the ones she already has and pretended to be interested in whatever pointy thing my brother was talking about. I wanted to go hiking. As a matter-of-fact, I was promised hiking. It was the selling point to convince me to go and be nice. But, no one wanted to go, and I had no means of transportation. Another great part about family vacations: one vehicle.

Don't get me wrong, I really try to be optimistic (actually, "kinda-try" might be a bit more accurate) about the summer. My job is filling all of my weekdays, (and some of my weekends) and on weekends I just want to curl up on the couch with a book I haven't read a million times before.

Vacations updates will hopefully be given, I think the hotel in Rehobeth has wireless . . . if not, God help me . . .

Pick a Side -- And Stay There!

It has come to my recent attention that people are having problems sticking with their decisions. And no, I am not just referring to Barack Obama's projected flip-flop on troop withdrawals in Iraq. Everyone's doing it. Musicians, politicians, and athletes change their minds constantly, and the general populace struggles to keep up and be on the side with the cool kids. That being said, here are some of more recent shifts that come to mind (and my commentary, of course):

1. Jewel
Pick a genre, dammit! Seriously, folk . . . then some type of pop/top 40 mess . . . Oh, and did I mention she thinks she's a poet? Awful stuff, poetry is more than just writing with line breaks! But back to the genre issue. Okay, so she traveled all over, trying to make it big with her folk-type sound -- she also lived in a van. Someone finally discovered her, and she had a few moderate hits. She then went a little more commercial (not that I blame her, she was living in a van) with a more pop-sounding thing going on. After failing to really make it big on the charts, she did a duet with a country singer. This made her get confused and think that SHE was a country singer. And now she's a judge on Nashville Star, which is pitiful to watch, especially as she coaches the male singers. Congratulations, Jewel. You are a successful second-rate star on an American Idol rip-off. Bottom line: Pop Singer + Steel Guitar = Fake Country = Jewel.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr
Junior wants to go down under. To Australia? Yes, the hectic race season that stretches from February to November isn't enough for little E anymore. I don't have a particular problem with it, but it really wouldn't hurt him to have a life.

3. Hootie (formerly of the Blowfish) aka Darius Rucker
We have another new genre-flopper in alternative-rock-turned-country Rucker. Unlike Jewel though, Rucker had made it big in the 90's as the front man in Hootie & the Blowfish. However, Darius Rucker has recently put out a new country single, "Don't Think I Don't Think About It." I actually like the song, his unique vocals give a nice feel to it, even though it doesn't exactly sound like a hard-core country song. However, the big question is how he moved towards country music. Well, he did a series of jingles dressed as a cowboy for Burger King. And, who are we to argue with the King of Greasy Burgers?

Independence Day From the Perspective of Kids

Part of my job this summer as an intern requires me to help out with a lot of activities involving kids. Yesterday had me at a summer Bible school, teaching a lesson on citizenship. However, I got there a little early and got to sit and watch the Independence Day program the church was conducting for the kids (ages 3-14).

One of the older groups of kids gave a brief history of the founding of our country. I learned that the Revolutionary War was fought because we couldn't have tea whenever we wanted. And then Paul Revere said "the British are coming," and the first shots were fired.

However, I think my favorite part was the question-and-answer session with a sergeant in the U.S. Army. First he asked them why they were proud to live in the United States of America. Answers included:

-Freedom
-"All the good animals"
-Fresh air
-Parades

Then, the kids got to ask the sergeant questions. He began by saying "And yes, I do carry a gun, I have seen a dead body, and I haven't killed anyone." After several kids raising their hands and telling irrelevant stories, some finally began to ask questions such as:

-Do you always have to wear that?
-Where's your hat?
-Why do you wear a hat?
-Have you ever been in a real war?
-Do you get to see things that fly and things in the water?

And then, one boy raised his hand and said, "My dad has a gun he kills deer with." Sergeant Carter acted interested and asked him which type of gun he used. The boy didn't know. But one of the younger kids, a boy about four years old, spoke out, yelling "A deer gun!" so matter-of-factly like he thought the answer should be obvious.

And while they may not have gotten all the facts right, it was obvious that they were a patriotic bunch, singing "My country 'tis of thee" loudly and with many wrong words. But it was really heartwarming to see such eager kids, and I could tell the activity was very educational while being interactive at the same time.

Panic and Parties: The Beginning

So I've derived the title of my blog from the title of this post, not the other way around. "Panic and Parties" just seems so appropriate considering the last few months of my existence. I'm a college student (hence the "parties") majoring in English and professional writing* with a minor in natural resource recreation (hence the "panic"). Actually, that last part isn't quite true. While I do keep pretty busy with classes and writing papers constantly, I love the work I do and finishing an essay gives me a sense of accomplishment that completing a math problem never did.
*Note: Professional writing is not creative writing. I have no major desire to spend my days contemplating nature and writing poems about daffodils and blue jays. Neither do I want to write the next great American novel. Or any novel for that matter. Professional writers do things. Creative writers write about doing things.

One of the questions that annoys me the most is "So what do you plan on doing with your degree after graduation?" My top answers include:

1. "Ummmmm......"
2. Well, I'm majoring in professional writing, so I'd like to write? **
3. I'd like to work for a publication or magazine, writing about environmental awareness and conservation of our natural resources (winner!!! that one makes me sound intelligent while giving an almost definite response to the question).
**Note: I did feel I had to add a question mark at the end of #2 because I feel like I'm asking permission to pursue my interests. And, I feel like anyone who majors in writing would want to well, write, right? (pun intended)

In more exciting news and in keeping with the writing theme, I just finished my first newspaper article, which I'll try to post this week. I'm very excited since it'll be my first piece put out to the public!